Rough & Tough MINI DSQUARED² Glides Down the Catwalk

The BMW Group’s Mini division continues to support the Life Ball gala, Europe’s largest annual charity event in the fight against HIV and AIDS, by commissioning designers to fashion up its cars and then offer them up for auction. For this year’s event in Vienna, Austria, brothers Dean and Dan Caten, who are better known as the Canadian designer duo DSQUARED², crafted the Red Mudder based on the three-door Mini Cooper S.

The Red Mudder is a more adventurous and tougher looking Mini that rides on a raised chassis and deep-tread all-terrain tires. The car is also fitted with a front guard, rally headlamps, tinted side windows with grilles and a spare tire on the tailgate
The twin brothers also put their stamp on the interior, which features a compass, special floormats made of structured aluminium sheeting, and the duo’s trademark DSQUARED² maple leaf logo on the leather head restraints and the door panels.
"Our MINI 'Red Mudder' is 100 per cent DSQUARED²," the two brothers said in a statement.
The DSQUARED² will be auctioned off with all proceeds raised to go the charity. According to Mini, since 2011, more than half a million euros has been generated by these specially styled Life Ball MINI models on behalf of Aids Life.

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BMW 328 Hommage Concept 2011

The stage is set for this weekend’s Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Italy with automakers and individual owners of classic cars already rolling out their goods for the 2011 edition of the show. The famed event will also play host to the world premiere of a fresh batch of sports car concept cars such as the Aston Martin V12 Zagato that we told you about earlier today and the BMW 328 Hommage concept, which we present here.

The BMW 328 Hommage was created on the occasion of the original model’s 75th birthday. While the Bavarian automaker avoids to make the connection, the 328 Hommage appears to be based on (or at least developed from) the Vision Connected Drive roadster study, which premiered at this year’s Geneva Motor Show.

To give the car a more retro look while keeping its futuristic feel, BMW’s designers took certain elements of the original 328 adapted them to their new roadster study. These include the slim and dare we say, much missed from BMW fans, vertically positioned double kidney grille, the leather straps across the bonnet, the styling of the wheels, and the double windscreen with a recess in the middle. The doors were also removed to imitate the styling of the 328.

In keeping with the original roadster’s lightweight philosophy, most major parts of the exterior and interior of the 328 Hommage are made of carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), which BMW says is lighter but also more stable than aluminum.

The two seater interior has far fewer retro touches than the exterior with BMW’s designers going for a minimalistic look. The materials used inside include carbon fiber, leather and aluminum, all of which are purposely visible.

The concept model is powered by a 3.0-liter straight-six engine, but that’s all the technical specifications we get about the car from BMW.

Get a look of the Bavarian firm’s new concept model in the gallery, and leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato Concept

As we mentioned before, Aston Martin will be celebrating the iconic DB4GT Zagato’s 50th anniversary with a new concept car developed in collaboration with the Italian design house Zagato. The concept car made its first appearance at the Villa D’Este Concours on May 21st, 2011 and will make its racing debut at Nürburgring on May 28th.

Dr. Ulrich Bez, Chief Executive said: "The DNA of both Aston Martin and Zagato has combined successfully to make some of the world’s most desirable collector cars in the past and in this special anniversary year of the DB4GT Zagato it is appropriate to explore a modern collaboration. Now is the right time for a new Aston Martin Zagato and in combining our design intelligence I think we can create something fitting of the iconic DB4GT Zagato that has gone before and since established itself as one of the most famous Aston Martins of all time."

The original Aston Martin DB4 GT Zagato made its first appearance in 1960 at the London Motor Show. It was essentially a much lighter DB4 GT that got worked on by the Italian Coachbuilder to include a 3670 cc straight-6 DOHC engine that produced 314 HP with a top speed of 154 mph.

This review has been updated with the official specs and info.

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2014 Audi Q6

There’s been talk about an Audi Q6 as far back as 2006 when it was reported that the company had registered the name in Europe. Nothing much was said until two years later when it was reported that its underpinnings would be shared with the Porsche Cayenne to get it ready to do battle with the BMW X6. The Q6 went back into news hibernation for a few more years and now we’ve come across more information to prep us for the coupe-like SUV’s entrance into the market around 2014.

As far as we can tell, the Audi Q6 will be slotted between the Q5 and the Q7, and will share its underpinnings with the Q7 and Porsche Cayenne. It will be offered with a variation of gas and diesel engines, plus a hybrid option as seen in the Cayenne. The top of the line model is rumored to be called the Q6 RS and may share the turbocharged 4.0L V8 engine as seen on the new generation RS6.

More details will be Announced sooner.

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2011 Chevrolet Corvette New Design

The Corvette is not only a popular sports car among buyers but also among individual coachbuilders. Over the years, we’ve shown you tons of Corvette-based builds ranging from the bad-ass Rossi SixtySix and the Genadi LSR Roadster to the more recent Soleil Anadi. In other words, there’s a Corvette for every taste, however outlandish you can imagine.

The latest company to jump onto the Corvette coachbuilding bandwagon is Endora Cars, which is based in Germany. Their build is called the SC-1 and it’s styling is inspired by the American and European sports cars of the 1960s and early 1970s. Seen here in the first official renderings, the SC-1 blends certain elements of the Corvette such as the Coke-bottle profile and sweeping roof, with a sharp front nose and a unique rear end along with partially covered rear wheel arches.
Under the body panels lie the platform and the mechanical hardware of the sixth generation Corvette. Endora Cars said it will offer buyers the choice of three configurations. The basic model will be equipped with GM’s 6.2-liter V8 pushing out 437-ponies and 424 lb-ft of peak torque, while a second option will be a 7.0-liter V8 with 512HP and 470 lb-ft of torque. Sitting at the top of the range will be a supercharged version of the 6.2-liter V8 delivering 647-horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque to the rear axle.
All engines will be mated to a six-speed-manual gearbox, while a 6-speed automatic transmission and paddleshifts will be optional on the entry-level V8 model.
The German company added that an electronic traction control and the Active Handling-system that monitors the driving dynamics will come as standard as will a set of 19-inch alloys wheels up front and 20-inch at the back.
Pricing, availability and other details have not yet been announced.

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